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Newt Gingrich on the 1994 Republican Revolution

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Newt Gingrich on the 1994 Republican Revolution ANNOUNCEMENT NEWT GINGRICH ON THE 1994 REPUBLICAN REVOLUTION NEW YORK, NY, January 5, 2015 – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich sat down with Bill Kristol to discuss the 1994 Republican Revolution, when Republicans took control of both Houses of Congress for the first time in forty years. Gingrich also recalls his first political campaigns and how he began to influence Washington in the 1980s. Finally, the former speaker offers a personal take on mentors, allies, and rivals, including Gerald Ford, Jack Kemp, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton—as well as his reflections on presidents from Eisenhower to Obama. This is a must-see Conversation for anyone interested in contemporary American history and the origins of our current political landscape. Below are excerpts from the Conversation: [On “The Establishment” and “The Insurgents”] GINGRICH: The heart of the Republican establishment is to get as much as it can without being disruptive. The heart of the Republican insurgents, whether it's Goldwater or it's Reagan or it was Gingrich, is to be as disruptive as necessary to get what you want. [On his political agenda in the 1980s] GINGRICH: I basically had three goals. Defeat the Soviet empire, replace the welfare state, and replace the Democrats as the majority party in the House. And that's what I arrived with. I spent my day on those three goals. [On shaking up Washington] GINGRICH: I went to see Nixon at one point to get his advice. And it was very funny. He said “The House Republicans are boring. The House Republicans were boring when I was there in the 40s and unless you quit being boring, you're not going to attract enough energy to become a majority." So what I would do is I'd get a group together every week and I would try to think about how to be interesting. 350 WEST 42ND STREET, SUITE 37C, NEW YORK, NY 10036 [On Clinton and Obama] GINGRICH: Arthur Link wrote about Woodrow Wilson that he never understood the sinews of good fellowship which bind men unbound by any other tie...And I think Clinton understood it. That if you and he could laugh, you were halfway to a deal. And I don't think Obama has a clue about the human side of the business. Watch the Conversation here: http://conversationswithbillkristol.org/video/newt- gingrich/ About Conversations with Bill Kristol. Conversations with Bill Kristol is an online interview program hosted by Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol and produced by The Foundation for Constitutional Government. Conversations segments feature informal discussions between Kristol and guests on a diverse array of issues of public concern—from the American presidency and the Middle East peace process to the ideas that have shaped Western civilization. Recent guests include former vice president Dick Cheney, journalist Brit Hume, business founder Peter Thiel, and former U.S. Army Vice Chief of Staff General Jack Keane. New conversations are released bi-weekly. Users can access Conversations at www.conversationswithbillkristol.org to watch all conversations free-of-charge, read guest biographies, download podcasts and transcripts, and view additional footage. About the Foundation for Constitutional Government. The Foundation for Constitutional Government is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization devoted to supporting the serious study of politics and political philosophy, with particular attention to the Constitutional character of American government. The Foundation’s online programming includes Conversations with Bill Kristol, Great Thinkers, a comprehensive site devoted to political philosophers such as John Locke and Alexis de Tocqueville, as well as websites devoted to important contemporary thinkers such as Harvey Mansfield, Irving Kristol, and James Q. Wilson. Media Contact: Andy Zwick 917-423-1422 [email protected] 2 .
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